And she said she was horrified at the lack of transparency from the school on what she describes as “a major failing”.

She said: “There is a history of a lack of communication between the parents and the governing body and this is another example.

“When we challenged them about expansion, the condition of the school was one of the things we brought up, but they didn’t mention anything.

“This isn’t a question of investment or expansion, or strategic decisions – it’s looking after the basic health of children. Every parent should be able to expect that from their school.

“They should have informed parents immediately. It is a gross failing on behalf of the school and the local authority.”

The inspectors’ report in December listed 21 breaches of its food hygiene standards including inappropriate work surfaces, peeling paint, broken flooring and cobwebs and insects above food preparation areas.

A council spokesperson said in a statement: “The inspection highlighted a number of health and safety issues regarding maintenance issues at the school, which is not uncommon in older premises such as these.

"It is important to note the food hygiene and handling was rated as good. Environmental health officers have been working closely with the catering manager to remedy the issues and a recent inspection rated this as good.

"£150,000 has been allocated for substantial kitchen refurbishment at Holly Park. This is a substantial task which will happen during the summer break.”

Comments (5)

As a parent of two children that attend Holly Park school I am disgusted that this information was never passed onto us. Luckily my children are fussy eaters so have packed lunch. For the price school dinners are, it is appalling that they are putting children at risk with filthy kitchens.

As a parent of two children that attend Holly Park school I am disgusted that this information was never passed onto us. Luckily my children are fussy eaters so have packed lunch. For the price school dinners are, it is appalling that they are putting children at risk with filthy kitchens.Maltykelz

At least the Barnet Press has the decency to give credit where it is due in their coverage of this issue.

And yes, it is extraordinary that the school proposed expanding when clearly the priority should have been to ensure the safety and well being of the number of pupils currently attending.

Hold on: this story was NOT made public by this paper, it was made by public by the Barnet bloggers when this paper would not publish it. See -
http://wwwbrokenbarn
et.blogspot.co.uk/20
14/04/holly-park-bar
net-school-with-zero
.html
At least the Barnet Press has the decency to give credit where it is due in their coverage of this issue.
And yes, it is extraordinary that the school proposed expanding when clearly the priority should have been to ensure the safety and well being of the number of pupils currently attending.Mrs Angry, Broken Barnet blog

Why didn't Chris report on this in his article on the worst food hygiene places a few weeks ago. Reason parents didn't know about this is that holly park school only produced the reports in English, remember we are in the EU and most of the schools are overwhelmed with EU Kids so we must 'comply' to the EU. Sack the lot in the kitchen, cancel the contractor, and replace those in the council who overview contractors.

Why didn't Chris report on this in his article on the worst food hygiene places a few weeks ago. Reason parents didn't know about this is that holly park school only produced the reports in English, remember we are in the EU and most of the schools are overwhelmed with EU Kids so we must 'comply' to the EU. Sack the lot in the kitchen, cancel the contractor, and replace those in the council who overview contractors.harvey_uk